The thing about a burger is that they can be a simple and quick dinner or they can be dressed up into a fancy gourmet meal.
We’ve all heard of the burgers of folklore, costing in the four digit realm. One, the “Golden Boy,” created by a chef in the Neverlands, is $6,000 and uses high-dollar ingredients like caviar and Waygu beef and even a gold leaf bun!
While you can spare the gold leaf for your family, you can still earn a gold star by sourcing locally and getting creative. Head to your local farm market, farm stand or sustainable butcher shop with the challenge to build the best burger
The star of the show of course is your patty, but do know it doesn’t always have to mean grabbing a pound of ground beef.
Monocle Meat Company, a newly opened butcher shop in Stevensville, attests that for the best burger, a blend of chuck, sirloin, and brisket will get you a perfect fat ratio for the juiciest burgers. “Fresh-cut beef is the key, nothing frozen with no preservatives or additives,” they say.
With the right meat make up, there are no fillers required so you can save the breadcrumbs and egg for your meatloaf. They source their high quality meat locally, the majority of their ground meat coming from DK Farms, also in Queen Anne’s County. Whether you’re looking for an unforgettable burger or even splurging on a Tomahawk steak, they can surely get you connected with some top notch meat!
Looking for something different? Give lamb a try. You may not have prepared lamb often or even really had it, so starting with it in burger form is a good starting place. A good local source is Wye Heights Plantation, whose Black Welsh Mountain sheep you may have seen dotting the hill if you happen to boat by on the Wye River.
Owner Kim Engh shares that “our ground lamb comes from our farm raised black welsh mountain sheep brought over from England. It’s delicious sweet taste is different from Australian white sheep.”
Her favorite preparation for a lamb burger is to cook the patties as lamb alone, and then pair with a simple tzatziki sauce of greek yogurt, feta, and mint which is then spread on the burger topped with thinly sliced red onion.
The family operated farm has their cut options online with pickups on Wednesdays at the Easton Airport. Start out with burgers and you might find more lamb coming out in your meal rotation with riffs on meatballs, stews, or diving all the way in with lamb chops.
Did you come across some Maryland grown bison meat? A notoriously lean meat, if not overcooked, can still result in a tasty burger! Mix in some Worcestershire sauce and some spice for another new taste palette.
So what else can you dig up at the farmer’s market to dress up your patty of choice? It seems the answer is anything but the kitchen sink!
Aside from the burger and then the bun, the next star ingredient in line is the cheese. From Gouda to Blue, and flavors like Old Bay, IPA or Garlic & Chive, cheese is a great way to add a variety of flavor. Chapel’s Country Creamery in Easton and Eve’s Cheese in Chestertown are two local producers serving Mid-Shore and beyond.
Curious how to get a burger sized slice from the typical farmer’s market block? Save your fingers by leaving the knife in the block and instead pull slices with a wire cheese slicer or cheese plane. If all else fails, grate it up and toss it in when making your burgers for a cheesy touch throughout.
Mushrooms are also a popular farmer’s market find in our area and are great either diced and blended into your burger or sauteed on top. Crimini, white button, or sliced portobello all add a great compliment to beef. Heck, if you find some bun size portabella mushrooms, you could also grill those up as the patty themselves! Swiss cheese is of course the most popular pairing for a mushroom burger, but make it your own with whatever you’d like.
Local bacon is hard to resist and the only risk of adding it in is that it might even steal the show all together. Try cooking until just before the crispy stage and putting diced pieces into your burger mix or cook it until crunchy as a topper. Or both. And then add bacon laced cheese.
Get inspired by other breakfast meats to go even further with a brunch burger theme. Combine some fresh sausage into your beef and top with a sunny side up egg. Add a slice of ham or scrapple. Now that’s something to get out of bed for!
Another stand to stop at are the artisan pickles. Sliced to place on top or as a crunch on the side, they add a nice zesty flavor.
Make a final loop around the market, being sure to grab the freshest lettuce, tomatoes and your other favorites. Don’t forget some sweet corn for on the side! Stop by CD Produce at their stand in Cordova or at the Easton Farmers Market and you might even decide to skip the butter! (But — of course — local butter would be a great addition!)
It would be remiss to note that while burgers are an all-American favorite, so are hot dogs. Rather than purchasing from a grocery store with a blend of this, that and who knows what, try some all local beef ones from your local farm. In Cordova, Twin Cedar Farms now offers an all grass-fed beef option that’s sure to take a hot dog from a quick dinner to a meal centerpiece! If hot dogs are a kid staple in your home, try swapping them out for grass-fed meat you can feel good about. Visit Twin Cedar’s website to order.
This summer, make it a goal to skip the frozen patty with a squirt of ketchup and keep burger night celebrated and on rotation all summer with your local finds!